Thursday, June 5

Should you live in San Francisco, maybe I'll remind you what a righteous place this is and how lucky we are. Should you not happen to not live here and would like to come for a visit someday, this is one of the places you'd really want to see. Not Fisherman's Wharf (Fisherman's Wharf is what Times Square is to New York City - get it?). This is the Fort Mason Community Garden. It sits smack in the middle of the city, well, actually on the north end of the City, smack on the edge of the bay. I come here a lot. It used to be an Army post and there are abandoned canons strewn about the grounds, hiding in secret spots. It is the gosh darn truth that not a single canon was ever fired. Not once. Nice, huh? Good for them.

Fort Mason has reinvented itself into a community haven - a dog park, a used book store, an educational center for art classes, pottery, photography, Italian and even contains the amazing vegetarian restaurant Green's. Now, those are some good veggies. And then there's this garden. There are currently about 150 residents on the wait list to join, and have their own little plot of land in the garden. You can read more about its history here, but for now I'm just going to inundate you with the pix I took there a few weekends ago.

I come here to hide out, relax and just be in nature. This is one of the reasons I live in San Francisco. Because something this peaceful and beautiful, sits in the middle of the big city, right down the hill from my place. If you look closely, you'll see the city buildings looming in the background. And now, it's not so secret anymore, but I know you'll love it and keep it special, too.

I work right near here. I have always loved the garden. It's in the perfect spot as the hill around the side and back blocks the wind and seemingly all noise. Perfect place for a moment of peace and quiet or a little picnic on a sunny day.

Oh how pretty! I never knew there was a garden there. There's a community garden on my block and the waitlist is forever long. I love that we live in a city where so many people are committed to growing beauty.

Thank you for taking me back to a former home. I've been in Connecticut for 24 years now, but everyone knows I am still a San Francisco girl. Loved to poke around Fort Mason when I lived on Laguna -- and am so happy to see all these little treasures sprouting up (literally!) there. I enjoy your blog so much. You have a great eye for the sublime. The canon anecdote was a perfect example..

My sister and I went to artisan craft show at the Fort Mason Center when I was visiting her in March. We walked over from her place in the Marina, so we passed Fort Mason itself. I wondered what was beyond the front gate! Thanks for this beautiful peek into the gardens. I'll have to make sure to go in next time I visit my sister!